Vending machine



June 27, 1961 H. T. PROBASCO 2,990,084

VENDING MACHINE Filed May 14, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ei e: 3-

2 INVENTOR. 32042) 1 Peas/18:0,

June 27, 1961 H. T. PROBASCO 9 8 VENDING MACHINE Filed May 14, 1956 4Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. flZeaLD fli Peaansca,

RWT W A napmgy June 27, 1961 H. T. PROBASCO 2,990,084

7 VENDING MACHINE Filed May 14, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 fiira: 63

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June 27, 1961 H. T. PROBASCO 2,990,084

VENDING MACHINE Filed May 14, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 w ZiWQ WW UnitedStates Patent 2,990,084 VENDING MACHINE Harold T. Probasco, Inglewood,Calif., assignor to Oak Manufacturing (10., Inc., Culver City, Calif., acorporation of California Filed May 14, 1956, Ser. No. 584,778 2 Claims.(Cl. 221-422) This invention relates to a vending machine and, moreparticularly, to a vending machine adapted to dispense a variety ofedible articles which are formed in substantially rectangular, flatshapes or which are provided in packages having substantiallyrectangular, flat shapes.

'Conventional vending machines of the character of that underconsideration here usually incorporate a rotatable dispensing headhaving a plurality of recceptacles provided thereupon, each of thereceptacles containing one variety of gum, candy, or the like, to bedispensed therefrom and each receptable being bottomless to permit thelowermost of a stack of gum or candy to be discharged from the lowerextremity of the receptacle upon dispensing means incorporated in thevending machine. However, the use of such bottomless receptacles inrotating dispensing heads necessitates the frictional engagement of eachof the lowermost articles in each of the receptacles with the adjacentsurface of the bed with reference to which the dispensing head rotatesand thus considerable frictional drag is encountered during the rotationof the dispensing head to select a commodity to be dispensed andconsiderable wear and tear will result on the packages or wrappings forthe commodities disposed in the lowermost position.

It is, therefore, an object of my invention to provide a vending machineincorporating a movable dispensing head, said dispensing head beingprovided with a plurality of vertically oriented receptacles havingbottom portions upon which the lowermost of a stack of ediblecommodities may rest so that the commodities do not engage the surfaceof the vending machine adjacent the lower extremities of the receptaclesand thus the frictional losses encountered in conventional vendingmachines are eliminated.

An additional object of my invention is the provision of a vendingmachine of the aforementioned type wherein the receptacles are eachprovided with rearwardly oriented discharging openings and wherein thebottoms of the receptacles are provided with apertures, said aperturespermitting the entry of a portion of a dispensing plate so that aselected commodity may be discharged rearwardly through the dischargingopening in a selected receptacle by a customer operating the vendingmachine.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a vending machine ofthe aforementioned chanacter which includes a longitudinallyreciprocatable dispensing plate, said plate being movable with referenceto a selected receptacle and through the aperture formed in the bottomthereof to expel a selected commodity through the discharging opening inthe hack of said receptacle.

One of the major problems encountered by vending machine operators isthe fact that customers will attempt to obtain merchandise from themachine Without inserting the coin necessary to operate the machine in aconventional manner. To accomplish their unlawful ends, such individualswill tilt, invert, or otherwise abuse the machine, in an attempt todislodge merchandise from the receptacles toward the discharge chute ofthe machine. Such tactics, in addition to involving considerable loss ofmerchandise, have the undesirable side effect that, even whenunsuccessful, merchandise is jammed between the receptacles and adjacentportions of the vending machine and render the vending machineinoperative and unuseable by legitimate customers.

2,990,084 Patented June 27, 1951 A further object of my invention is theprovision of a vending machine of the aforementioned character whichincludes substantially continuous barrier means disposed on the bed ofthe vending machine adjacent the discharge openings in each of thereceptacles so that, as the machine is tilted, inverted, or otherwisemoved or shifted, merchandise will not be dislodged from the dischargeopenings of the receptacles since the barrier means will retain themerchandise Within the receptacles. The provision of the barrier meansalso prevents inadvertent dislodgement of merchandise from thereceptacle during transportation or other adjustment of the vendingmachine by personnel engaged in restocking, servicing, or otherwisehandling the machine.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a vending machine ofthe aforementioned character which includes a rotatable dispensing headincorporating a plurality of receptacles of the character describedhereinabove, and wherein the barrier wall preventing the unauthorized orunintended dislodgement of merchandise from the receptacles is circularin character and disposed adjacent the inner orbit of rotation of thereceptacles of the dispensing head.

An additional object of my invention is the provision, in a vendingmachine of the aforementioned character, of barrier means incorporatinga displ'aceable gate, said gate being disposed in operative relationshipwith the dispensing plate of the machine so that, as a particularcommodity is extracted from the juxtaposed receptacle by said dispensingplate, the gate will be displaced by the movement of the commodity onthe plate to permit the commodity to be discharged by said plate intothe dispensing opening of the vending machine.

When the dispensing head of the vending machine is rotated by a customerto juxtapose a receptacle containing a desired commodity adjacent thedispensing plate, optimum registration between the pick-off portion ofthe dispensing plate and the aperture in the bottom of the juxtaposedreceptacle is necessary and I provide indexing means on the rotatabledispensing head and the adjacent bed of the vending machine whichautomatically locates the dispensing head in registration with thechosen receptacle.

Furthermore, rotation of the dispensing head during the dispensingoperation would cause damage to both the machine and to the commoditybeing dispensed with possible jamming of the operative components of themachine and injury thereto.

A further object of my invention is the provision of an automaticinterlock between the dispensing head and the bed of the vending machineso that upon initiation of the dispensing cycle the dispensing head islocked against rotation relative to the bed of the machine and remainsso locked until the completion of the dispensing cycle.

Another object of my invention is the provision of an interlock of theaforementioned character which includes a movable locking memberengageable with the dispensing head and energizable simultaneously withthe initiation of the dispensing cycle to prevent rotation of thedispensing head in the vending machine.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a lost motionconnection between the aforementioned interlock and the actuator of thevending machine so that if the interlock is not in proper registry withthe dispensing head, rotation of the actuator which would cause damageto either the actuator or the interlock is'automatically prevented bycausing the actuator to lock against the interlock and thus preventrotation or energization thereof.

It is, of course, undesirable to energize the dispensing plate of thevending machine unless the dispensing head has been so located that oneof the dispensing receptacles is properly indexed with rmpect to thedispensing plate.

Another object of my invention is the provision of automatic interlockmeans energizable by the actuator of the vending machine which preventslongitudinal movement of the dispensing plate unless the dispensing headhas been properly rotated to locate a selected dispensing receptacle injuxtaposition to the dispensing plate.

Dispensing machines of the character under consideration here must besold at relatively low prices to the ultimate users thereof and it is,therefore, necessary to utilize every economy which can possibly beincorporated in the design of the dispensing machine in order to reducethe total price thereof. In the past, it has been conventional practiceto use steel shafts in the actuator mechanism and to fasten the die castsector gear, or the like, to the opposite ends of the shafts. I havediscovered, however, that the sector gear and the shaft incorporated inthe actuator of the vending mechanism of my invention can be die-cast asa unitary structure with suflicient draft on the shaft to permit it tobe readily withdrawn from the die-casting mold. Moreover, I havediscovered that such a tapered shaft can be readily installed in atapered bore provided in the bed of the vending machine of my inventionand that it is not necessary to lubricate the die-cast shaft since thereis a natural lubrication effect resulting from the powdery deposits onthe surface of the shaft which occur during the tumbling of the part.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from thefollowing specification and the accompanying drawings which are for thepurpose of illustration only and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view showing a vending machine constructedin accordance with the teachings of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical, sectional view taken on the broken line 22 of FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary view showing the relationship of thepick-off portion of the dispensing plate with the lower extremity of aselected receptacle;

FIG. 4 is a transverse, sectional view taken on the broken line 44 ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view showing the operationof the dispensing plate incorporated in the vending machine;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, sectional, fragmentary view showing the manner inwhich the dispensing plate carries a selected commodity toward thedispensing opening of the vending machine;

FIG. 7 shows another position of the dispensing plate;

FIG. 8 shows the Withdrawal of the dispensing plate from operativerelationship with the dispensing opening of the machine;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken on the broken line 9--9 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken on the broken line 10-40 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 11 is an isometric view of the gate incorporated in the dispensingmechanism;

FIG. 12 is a schematic, top plan view showing the manner in which theactuator and interlock means of the vending machine co-operate with eachother;

FIG. 13 shows the operative relationship between the actuator andinterlock means at the conclusion of a dis pensing cycle;

FIG. 14 shows the interlocking of the actuator and interlock meansshould the interlock means not register with an appropriate receptacleon the dispensing head;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the relationship between thedispensing plate and the associated portion of the actuator means;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the interlock means; and

FIG. 17 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view showing therelationship of the actuator means shaft and the adjacent area of theinterlock means.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. l2 thereof, I show avending machine 10 for dispensing fiat, substantially rectangularlyshaped edible commodities 12, said vending machine incorporating a headsection 14 and a base section 16. The base section 16 is substantiallyrectangular in cross-sectional configuration and defines a coinreceptacle 18.

Secured to the four corners of the base section 16 are suction cups 20which serve to maintain the vending machine 10 in operative relationshipwith a selected surface 22.

Mounted in the front face 24 of the base section 16 is a dispensingchute 26, said chute being provided with a cover plate 28 at its lowerextremity which prevents egress of comestibles therefrom until saidcover plate is lifted by the hand of a customer disposed therebelow.Also mounted in the front face 24 of the base section 16 is a coinreceiving means 30, said coin receiving means including a substantiallyrectangular plate 32 which incorporates a coin receiving slot 34 in theupper extremity thereof. Projecting from the plate 32 is an actuator 36for rotating a coin carrier 38 and causing said carrier to be moved intoa position in which a coin inserted in the coin carried is dispensedinto the coin receptacle 18 in the base section 16.

Rotation of the coin carrier 38 is accomplished by a shaft 40 whoseouter extremity is operatively connected to the actuator 36 and whoseinner extremity has a bevel gear 42 mounted thereupon for rotationthereby, for a purpose which will be described in greater detail below.

The base section 16 includes a lower portion 46 having an upstanding,vertical flange 48 formed integrally therewith and engageable with anupper portion 50 to maintain said upper and lower portions in operativerelationship with each other. Located centrally of the lower portion 46is an upstanding boss 52 which is provided with a threaded bore 54, fora purpose which will be described in greater detail below.

An upper, integral flange 56 is formed on the upper portion 50 of thebase section 16 for the reception of a depending skirt 58 integrallyformed upon a bed plate 60 incorporated in the head section 14 of thedispensing machine 10. The head and base sections 14 and 16 and thecomponent parts thereof, hereinabove described, define and constitutethe housing 62 of the vending machine 10 and there is a rotatabledispensing head 64 disposed in operative relationship with the bed plate60. A peripheral groove 66 is formed in the bed plate 60 for thereception of the lower extremity of a transparent enclosure 68, saidenclosure being provided on its upper extremity with a radially andinwardly oriented flange 70 defining a centrally located opening 72 inthe top of said enclosure which is closed by a cover 74.

Located centrally of and formed' integrally with the bed plate 60 is anupstanding boss 76 having a threaded bore 78. A bearing column has itsthreaded lower end engaged in the similarly threaded bore 78 in theupstanding boss 76 on the bed plate 60 and the rotatable dispensing head64 is mounted for rotation upon said bearing column. The bearing column80 is, as best shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, provided with anelongated bore 82 and may be formed from tubing or similar stock.

The rotatable dispensing head 64 includes upper and lower mounting discs84 and 86, respectively, as best shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, saidmounting discs having centrally located bosses 88 and 90 thereupon whichare provided with bores which encompass the periphery of the bearingcolumn 80. The upper extremity of the bearing column 80 is threaded, asat 92, for the reception of a lock nut 94 which maintains the rotatabledispensing .head 64 in operative relationship with the bearing column80.

The upper and lower mounting discs 84 and 86 are provided with aplurality of integral prongs 96 which are receivable in mating recesses98 formed in the back walls 102 of elongated, channel-shaped receptacles104. The elongated receptacles 104 are of substantially rectangular,cross-sectional configuration and define elongated recesses ofsubstantially the same cross-sectional area as the standardcross-sectional area of fiat, rectangularly shaped edible commoditiesdeposited therein. Elongated openings 106 are formed in the front wal-lsthereof to permit the customer to view the contents of said receptaclesto make a selection therefrom of the variety of edible commoditiesafforded thereby.

A slot or aperture 108 is formed in the bottom wall of each thereceptacles 104 and a discharging opening 110 is provided in the lowerextremity of the back wall of each of said receptacles, as best shown inFIGS. 2 and 6 of the drawings, to permit the lowermost in a stack ofedible commodities 12 to be discharged rearwardly from a selectedreceptacle 104 in the manner shown in FIGS. 6-8 of the drawings and tobe described in greater detail hereinbelow.

The height of the discharging opening 110 in the back wall 102 of eachof the receptacles 104 is such that it will permit the lowermost of astack of edible commodities to be expelled from the lower extremity ofthe receptacle 104, but will not permit the expulsion of a weight 112which is superimposed upon a stack of edible commodities which has beenselected by a customer, for a purpose to be described in greater detailbelow.

A- plurality of tie rods 113 is provided for maintaining the upper andlower mounting discs 84 and 86, respectively, in operative relationshipwith each other, as best shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings. The uppermounting disc has integrally formed upon the peripheral edge thereof aplurality of upstanding cylindrical bosses 114 which are engageable by asprocket wheel 116 mounted for rotation on a drive shaft 118 which isoperable by means of a knob 120 secured to the upper extremity of saiddrive shaft. Therefore, rotation of the knob 120 causes concomitantrotation of the sprocket wheel 116 which, because of its engagement withthe cylindrical bosses 114, .will cause rotary movement of thedispensing head 64. Therefore, when a customer grasps the knob 120, hecan rotate the same to cause concomitant rotation of the dispensing head64 to bring a selected receptacle 104 containing a desired ediblecommodity to'the front of the vending machine and into a position, aswill be described hereinbelow, wherein the lowermost of a stack of saidedible commodities in said receptacle can be expelled therefrom.

To accomplish accurate indexing of the dispensing head 64, in order tolocate the selected receptacle 104 in a desired position, there isprovided indexing means 122, best shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, saidindexing means including a detent ball 124 which is biased upwardly by aspring 126 located in a socket 128 formed in the bed plate 60. The ball124 is engageable with any one of a plurality of concave recesses 130,one of each of said recesses being aligned with an adjacent receptacle104 to insure the indexing of said selected receptacle at the dispensingstation which is located in dead center above the coin receiving slot 34in the plate 32 of the coin receiving means 30'. Thus, as the dispensinghead 64 is rotated by rotation of the knob 120, the ball 124successively engages the recesses 130 provided on the underside of thelower mounting disc 86 and will locate the lower mounting disc 86 toproperly index the selected receptacle 104 at the dispensing station,which is generally indicated at 132 in the drawings.

The bed plate 60 is provided with a dispensing opening 134 therein, saidopening being adapted for the reception of an edible commoditydischarged thereinto and having a dispensing tube '136 associatedtherewith and formed integrally upon the underside of the bed plate 60,said dispensing tube being, in turn, engageable with the upper extremityof the dispensing chute 26 to carry a dispensed commodity downwardly toa point adjacent the cover plate 28 of the dispensing chute.

Formed in the bed plate 60 is a substantially rectangular recess 138 inwhich is located a longitudinally movable dispensing plate 140' having asubstantially rectangular body 142, as best shown in FIG. 5 of thedrawings, upon which are formed rearwardly extending guide legs 144which are located in elongated guide slots 146 formed in the bed plate60. Formed on the underside of the body 142 of the dispensing plate 140are first and second racks 1'48 and 150, respectively, which aresuccessively engageable, in a manner to be described in greater detailbelow, by a sector gear or pinion 152. The pinion 152 is formedintegrally with the upper extremity of a shaft 154 to the lowerextremity of which is secured a gear 156, said gear being engageable bythe gear 42 which is rotated by the actuator 36.

It will be noted that one leg 144 of the dispensing plate 140 isprovided, as best shown in FIG. 15 of the drawings, with a slot 145, fora purpose which will be described in greater detail below.

As previously indicated, the pinion 152 and the shaft 154 are formedintegrally with each other and, as a matter of fact, by die-casting toreduce the cost of the pinionshaft combination. It will be noted thatthere is considerable taper in the shaft 154 entailed by the die-castingprocess and that, as best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 6 of the drawings,the tapered shaft 154 is received in a tapered bore 159 provided in adie-cast boss 158 depending from the underside of the bed plate 60. Bydie-casting the pinion 152 as an integral part of the shaft 154, thenecessity for providing a separate steel shaft and for the machiningthereof is eliminated and an equally serviceable part which is muchcheaper is thereby obtained. The powdery metallic dust which remains onthe die-cast pinion and shaft after the part has been tumbled to removethe hash therefrom serves as sufiicient lubrication for the bore 159 andno necessity for additional lubrication has arisen.

A flange 160 is formed on the base of the pinion and is, as best shownin FIG. 17 of the drawings, provided with a semicircular cut 161therein, said cut terminating in hook-like end walls 163, for a purposewhich will be described in greater detail below.

Formed in the bed plate 60, immediately adjacent the opposite sides ofthe rectangular recess 138, are spring receptacles 162, said receptaclesbeing adapted for the reception of leaf springs 164 whose outerextremities are engaged upon lugs 166, as best shown in FIG. 5 of thedrawings, and whose inner extremities are engaged in notches 168 formedon the opposite edges of the body 142 of the dispensing plate 140.

Also formed in the bed'plate 60 is a substantially rightangularly shapedcavity 170 in which is disposed interlocking means 171 mounted forrotation in said cavity upon a pin 172 which is formed integrally withand extends upwardly from the bed plate 60'. The interlocking means isprovided on one end with a contact surface 173, as best shown in FIGS. 5and 12-1'4, and 16 of the drawings, said contact surface being arcuatein plan and conforming substantially to the arcuity of the semi-circularflange 160 on the pinion 152 and the cut 161 therein. The contactsurface 173 is provided on a hook-shaped pro+ trusion 174 which is'engageable with the trailing hookshaped end wall 163 of the cut 161 inthe flange 160, as best shown in FIG. 14' of the drawings.

Mounted on the interlocking means 171 adjacent the hook-shapedprotrusion 174 by means of a boss 175 integrally formed upon saidinterlocking means is a lost motion connection 176 constituted by acurvilinear leaf spring 177 whose inward movement is limited by'impingement of one end of an upright integral pin 178 adjacent the boss175; p

Also formed upon the interlocking means 171" is an upwardly directedarcuate rib 179 which terminates in an interlocking lug 180 forpreventing rotation of the dispensing head 64 during a dispensingoperation, as will be described in greater detail hereinbelow.

Formed integrally upon the interlocking means 171 is locating tongue 181which is receivable in a slot 182 formed in the bed plate 60 andunderlies said bed plate in order to retain the interlocking means 171in operative relationship with the bed plate 60. Provided on theinterlocking means 171 is an interlocking finger 183 which is, as bestshown in FIG. 14 of the drawings, engageable with the slot 145 formed inthe leg 144 of the dispensing plate 140 to dog said dispensing plateagainst longitudinal movement by the pinion 152 and the shaft 154constituting a part of the actuator means, in a manner to be describedin greater detail below.

A centrally located opening 184 in the interlocking means 171encompasses an integral boss 185 on the bed plate 60, said boss servingboth to limit movement of the interlocking means 171 in'the cavity 170and to assist in maintaining the interlocking means 171 in operativerelationship with the bed plate 60.

Formed upon the outer extremity of the dispensing plate 140 is abifurcated pick- E portion 190, said pick-off portion, as best shown inFIGS. 2-4 of the drawing being normally located outside the orbit ofrotation of the dispensing head 64 by the action of the leaf springs 164which serve to maintain the dispensing plate 140 in the first, retractedposition shown in FIGS. 2-4 of the drawings. Moreover, as best shown inFIG. 5 of the drawings, the underside of the lower mounting disc 86 isprovided with concave recesses 192 which are engageable by theinterlocking lug 180 on the interlocking means 171 to lock the lowermounting disc 86 and thus the entire dispensing head 64 against rotationduring the dispensing of a selected edible commodity by the dispensingplate 140.

At this juncture, it might be well to consider the interaction of thevarious parts of the dispensing mechanism of the vending machine whichhave been described hereinabove. When a coin is inserted in the coincarrier 38 of the coin receiving means 30, rotation of the gears 42 and156 by the actuator 36 is permitted, causing simultaneous rotation ofthe pinion 152 and shaft 154 of the actuator means in the directionindicated by the arrow 194 in FIG. 5 of the drawings. During the initalrotation of the pinion 152, it engages the first rack 148 to shift thedispensing plate 140 from its first inoperative position to a secondintermediate position shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 of the drawings. As thedispensing plate 140 approaches the second intermediate position, thepinion 152 releases the rack 148 and the toggle-like action of the leafsprings 164 carries the dispensing plate 140 into rest at the secondintermediate position.

Continued rotation of the pinion 152 causes the pinion to engage thelead tooth on the rack 150 and to overcome the bias of the leaf springs164 by initiating movement of the dispensing plate 140 to its originalfirst position. As the dispensing plate 140* approaches the firstposition, the leaf springs 164, having been moved overcenter, completethe movement of the dispensing plate 140 into said first, inoperativeposition by their togglelike action.

Of course, prior to the rotation of the actuator 36 by a customer, thereceptacle 104 containing the desired commodity has been located at thedispensing station 132 immediately adjacent the pick-cit portion 190 ofthe dispensing plate 140, as illustrated in FIGS. l-3 of the drawings.Therefore, the inward movement of the dispensing plate 140 by the pinion152 causes inward movement of the pick-off portion 190 of the dispensingplate 140 which passes through the front opening 106 and the bottomopening 108 of the receptacle 104, as illustrated in FIG. 7 of thedrawings, to propel the lowermost of a stack of edible commoditiesthrough the discharge opening in the back wall 102 of the receptaclelocated at the dispensing station 132.

Since the receptacle 104 containing the desired commodity has beenproperly located at the dispensing station 132, the interlocking lug 180on the interlocking means 171 has been properly juxtaposed to one of theconcave recesses 192. Therefore, as the pinion 152 is initially rotatedin a counterclockwise direction, as indicated by the arrow 186 in FIG.13 of the drawings, the teeth of the pinion 152 will engage the lostmotion connection 176 constituted by the leaf spring 177, thus rotatingthe interlocking means 171 in a clockwise direction about the pin 172and urging the interlocking lug 180 into the juxtaposed cavity 192 tolock the dispensing head 64 against deliberate or inadvertent rotationduring the dispensing cycle.

The manner in which normal operation of the dispensing mechanism takesplace is graphically illustrated in FIG. 12 of the drawings which showsthe interlocking lug 180 of the interlocking means 171 seated in ajuxtaposed cavity 192 and which shows the pinion 152 about to return thedispensing. plate from its intermediate to its original positions. Itwill be noted that, during normal dispensing operations, the contactsurface 173 on the interlocking means 171 is located adjacent the outerperiphery of the flange 160 on the base of the pinion 152, thusmaintaining the interlocking means 171 against counterclockwise rotationand preventing displacement of the interlocking lug 180 from the cavity192 in which it is located during the dispensing operation.

Clockwise movement of the interlocking means 171 also frees theinterlocking finger 183- of the interlocking means from operativeengagement with the slot in the leg 144 of the dispensing plate 140 topermit the pinion 152 to freely move said dispensing plate between itsfirst inoperative to its second intermediate position and back to itsfirst inoperative position.

When the dispensing plate 140 is returned to the first inoperativeposition, as best shown in FIG. 13 of the drawings, the interlocking lug180 remains in the registered cavity 192, but free rotation of thedispensing head 64 is not prevented since, when the dispensing head 64is rotated, the interlocking lug 180 will be displaced outwardly and thehook-shaped protrusion 174 moved into the semi-circular cut 161 in theflange on the base of the pinion 152. Thus, after the conclusion of therotation of the dispensing head 64, the hook-shaped protrusion 174usually lies in the semi-circular cut 161 in the flange 160.

However, initial rotation of the pinion 152 causes the pinion 152 toengage the lost motion connection constituted by the spring 177, as bestshown in FIG. 13 of the drawings, to urge the interlocking means 171 ina clockwise direction and thus remove the hook-shaped protrusion 174from the semi-circular cut 161.

Should a person rotate the dispensing head 64 in such a manner that areceptacle 104 containing the desired commodity is not properly locatedat the dispensing station 132, the interlocking lug will not be locatedadjacent a cavity 192, as best shown in FIG. 14, and the interlockingfinger 183 will be located in the slot 145 in the leg 144 of thedispensing plate 140, thus preventing reciprocation of the dispensingplate 140 through a dispensing cycle. Therefore, if a coin is depositedand initial rotation of the shaft 154 takes place, the pinion 152 willengage the spring 177. However, since the impingement of theinterlocking lug 180 of the interlocking means 171 prevents rotation ofthe interlocking means 171, the spring 177 will be deflected, as bestshown in FIG. 14 of the drawings, and the hook-shaped protrusion on theinterlocking means 171 will engage the trailing hook-shaped end wall 163on the end of the cut 161 in the flange 160 to dog the shaft 154 againstrotation and thus prevent the initiation of the dispensing cycle.However, as soon as the dispensing head 64 is rotated to locate theinterlocking lug 180 adjacent a cavity 192, the interlocking means 171will immediately rotate in a clockwise direction and the hook-shapedprotrusion 174 will be released from the semi-circular cut 161 to permitfree rotation of the shaft 154 and the pinion 152.

In addition, clockwise movement of the interlocking means 171 will freethe interlocking finger 183 from the slot 145 in the leg 144 of thedispensing plate 140 to permit said dispensing plate to be reciprocatedby the pinion 152.

The dispensing plate 140 and the operating leaf springs 164 associatedtherewith are maintained in operative relationship with the bed plate 60by means of retainer plates 196, said retainer plates being of identicalbut oppositely oriented configuration and being secured in operativerelationship with the bed plate 60 by means of screws 198, as best shownin FIG. 4 of the drawings. The retainer plates 196 are, as best shown inFIGS. 4 and 6-10, provided with laterally spaced, parallel mounting arms202 in which is supported a pivotally movable gate 204, said gate beingprovided with longitudinally extending spaced arms 206 having integralpivot pins 208 thereupon which are engageable with registering openingsin the mounting arms 202 on the retainer plates 196 to support the gate204 immediately adjacent the dispensing station 132 and in the path ofmovement of the dispensing plate 140.

The gate 204 is provided with a barrier portion 210 having an arcuateouter periphery, as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 11 of the drawings, andbeing provided in the underside thereof with an opening 212 to permitthe passage of the pick-off portion 190 of the dispensing plate 140therethrough. A centrally located guide prong 213 is provided in theopening 212, for a purpose which will be described in greater detailbelow. The undersides of the barrier portion 210 and guide prong 213 ofthe gate 204 are provided with cam surfaces 214, as best shown in FIGS.6-8, which are engageable by an edible product being expelled from aselected receptacle 104 through the discharge opening 110 of the backwall 102 of said receptacle.

Mounted in overlying relationship with the dispensing opening 134 in thebed plate 60 is a spring plate 216 which, as best shown in FIGS. 2, 4,and 6-8, is provided with a body portion 218 having a centrally locatedopening 220 therein which encompasses the periphery of the bearingcolumn 80 and thus maintains the Spring plate 216 in operativerelationship with the associated portions of the dispensing mechanism. Apin 222 formed integrally with and projecting upwardly from the surfaceof the bed plate 60 engages a corresponding opening in the spring plate216 to prevent relative rotation between the bed plate 60 and the springplate 216.

Formed upon the forward end of the spring plate 216 is a longitudinallyextending tongue 224-, said tongue lying between spring fingers 226extending parallel thereto. The spring fingers 226 engage the barrierportion 210 of the gate 204 and bias it downwardly into contact with theupper surfaces of the retainer plates 196.

Formed integrally with and extending upwardly from the upper surface ofthe bed plate 60 is an arcuate rib 230, said rib, as best shown in FIGS.2, and 4-5 of the drawings, constituting the major portion of barriermeans 232 which prevents inadvertent or intentional dislodgement of theedible commodities from the discharge openings 110 in the back walls 102of the receptacles 104. Such dislodgement is prevented because thebarrier means is juxtaposed to the inner orbit of rotation of the receptacles 104 and extends, as best shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings,upwardly to overlie the lower portions of the discharging openings 110in the receptacles 104. The arcuate rib 179 and the arcuate forward edgeof the barrier portion 210 of the gate 204 also constitute extensions ofthe barrier means 232 and thus a substantially continuous barrier meansis interposed between the discharging openings 110 of the receptacles104 and the dis- 10 pensing openings 134 in the bed plate 60 of thevending machine 10.

Therefore, when a customer rotates the knob 1-20 to cause a selectedreceptacle 104 to move to the dispensing station 132 adjacent thepick-off portion 190 of the dispensing plate 140, the dischargingopening of said selected receptacle is disposed adjacent the barrierportion 210 of the gate 204 so that,-until the dispensing cycle isinitiated, the lowermost of a stack of edible commodities disposed inthe selected receptacle cannot be inadvertently or deliberately expelledfrom the receptacle through the discharge opening 110 without thedeposit of a coin in the coin receiving slot 34. However, as soon as thedispensing cycle is initiated by the deposition of a coin through thecoin slot 34 and into the coin carrier 38 to permit rotation of theactuator 36, longitudinal movement of the dispensing plate is initiatedby engagement of the pinion 152 with the rack 148 on the dispensingplate 140 has been permitted to pass through the dispensing plate tomove through the front opening 106 of the selected receptacle and theaperture 108 in the bottom thereof, thus initiating the expulsion of thelowermost edible commodity through the discharge opening 110, as bestillustrated in FIG. 7 of the drawings.

As further illustrated in FIG. 7 of the drawings, continued movement ofthe dispensing plate 140 causes the inner end of the edible commoditybeing moved thereby to engage the cam surface 214 on the underside ofthe guide prong 213 of the gate 204, carnming said gate upwardly againstthe bias of the spring fingers 226 and permitting the selected ediblecommodity to pass the barrier means 232 by virtue of the gate 204therein. Moreover, when the position shown in FIG. 7 of the drawings hasbeen reached by the edible commodity, the leading edge of the springtongue 224 engages said edible commodity and urges it downwardly intoengagement with the upper surface of the body 142 of the dispensingplate 140. Furthermore, since the prong 213 engages the center of theedible commodity cocking or twisting thereof will be prevented. It willalso be noted that the guide prong 213 will bypass the pick-off portion190 on the dispensing plate 140.

Continued movement of the pick-off portion 190 of the dispensing plate140 ultimately causes complete expulsion of the edible commodity throughthe discharge opening 110 in the receptacle 104 and the depositionthereof upon the body 142 of the dispensing plate 140 in the mannershown in FIG. 7 of the drawings wherein the outer extremity of theselected edible commodity is shown as juxtaposed to an adjacent surfaceof the pick-01f portion 190 of the dispensing plate 140. When located inthis position, the selected edible commodity underlies the spring tongue224 and overlies the dispensing opening 134 in the bed plate 60.

At this juncture, the pick-off portion 190 of the dispensing plate 140has been permitted to pass through the opening 212 in the barrierportion 210 of the gate 204 and the dispensing plate 140 has beencarried into its second intermediate position by the action of theovercenter toggle springs 164 until the inner extremity of the body 142of the dispensing plate 140 engages the adjacent wall of the dispensingopening 134, as best shown in FIG. 7 of the drawings.

When the outward movement of the dispensing plate 140 is initiated bythe engagement of the pinion 152 with the rack thereupon, as illustratedin FIG. 8 of the drawings, the barrier portion 210 of the gate 204engages the commodity supported on the upper surface of the body 142 ofthe dispensing plate 140 so that, as the dispensing plate 140 iswithdrawn from operative relationship with the selected commodity, it isrestrained from moving outwardly therewith by the impingement thereuponof the barrier portion 210 of the gate 204 and when the body 142 of thedispensing plate 140 moves beyond the barrier portion of the gate 204,the selected edible commodity 1 1 drops in the dispensing opening 134 inthe bed plate 60 and ultimately into the dispensing chute 26.

Should the commodities in any receptacle 104 be exhausted and a customerinadvertently rotate the dispensing head 64 to bring the exhaustedreceptacle 104 to the dispensing station 132 and attempt to initiate thedispensing cycle, the Weight 112 will prevent inward movement of thedispensing plate 140. The prevention of inward movement of thedispensing plate 140 by the weight 112 is accomplished because, aspreviously explained hereinabove, the weights 112, as best illustratedin FIG. 2 of the drawings, are of much greater height than the height ofthe discharging openings 110 in the back walls 102 of the receptacles104. Thus, when the dispensing plate 140 is urged inwardly by rotationof the actuator constituted by the actuator 36 and the gear trainpreviously described hereinabove, continued inward movement of thedispensing plate 140 will be prevented because the weight 112 cannot beejected through the discharging opening 110. In this manner,disappointment to and loss of a coin by a customer is prevented and thedispensing head need merely be rotated to bring another receptacle tothe dispensing station.

The cover 74 of the vending machine is maintained in operativerelationship with the remaining components of said machine by avertically oriented tie rod 249, the threaded lower extremity 242 ofwhich is threadedly engaged in the bore 54 of the boss 52 in the lowerportion 46 of the base section 16 and the upper threaded extremity 244of which is engaged by the housing of a lock 246. In order to remove thecover 74 to service the vending machine 10, a key 250 is inserted in thelock 246 to permit rotation of the body of said lock and release of saidbody from the threaded upper extremity 244 of the tie rod 240. Once thelock 246 has been disengaged from the tie rod, the cover and thetransparent enclosure 68 can be lifted vertically to expose thereceptacles 104 for refilling with the desired commodities.

As a matter of fact, all of the components of the housing 62 of thevending machine 10 are maintained in operative relationship with oneanother by the tie rod 240 since the bed plate 60 and the dispensinghead 64 can be removed as a unit merely by slipping the bearing column80 vertically ofi the tie rod 240. To reassemble the vending machine, itis merely necessary to drop the transparent enclosure 68 and the cover74 over the dispensing head 64 and to engage the lower extremity of thelock 246 upon the upper extremity 244 of the tie rod 240, rotating thelock 246 to secure the cover and thus the remaining components of thevending machine 10 in operative relationship with one another.

I thus provide by my invention a vending machine which is characterizedby its resistance to tampering or other action intended to cause themachine to dispense its contents without the deposition in the coinreceiving means of the machine of the necessary coin. Moreover, theedible commodities disposed in the receptacles of the machine are notengaged with the bed plate disposed beneath the dispensing head so thatthey are not dragged across the surface of the dispensing plate everytime the dispensing head is rotated for the selection of a desiredreceptacle by a customer.

Moreover, an automatic interlock is provided which insures that thedispensing head will automatically be locked against rotation during thedispensing cycle so that any possibility of jamming of the machine, dueto deliberate or inadvertent rotation of the dispensing head during thedispensing cycle, is obviated. Also of significance is the provision ofthe continuous barrier means and the utilization in said barrier meansof a gate which serves to permit the deposition of a selected ediblecommodity in the dispensing opening of the machine, but which alsoserves to prevent the discharge of an edible commodity unless thenecessary coin has been deposited in the vending machine. Furthermore,the interlock means includes lost motion means for preventing rotationof the interlock means by the actuator if the dispensing head is notproperly located at the initiation of the dispensing cycle and also dogsthe dispensing plate against longitudinal movement if said head is notproperly located.

In addition, the actuator means is itself prevented from beingenergized, thus eliminating the possibility that the interlock means maybe damaged by the imposition of excessive loads thereupon.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a vending machine, the combination of: a housing; a bed in saidhousing having a dispensing opening therein; a dispensing head mountedfor rotary movement in said housing relative to said bed, said headincorporating a plurality of receptacles for articles to be dispensedand having rearwardly oriented discharge openings for said articlestherein, said discharge openings being arranged about the perimeter of acircle and said head having detent means thereupon; circular barriermeans on said bed located inwardly of said discharge openings to preventdischarge of articles from said discharge openings, said barrier meansincluding a movable detent member engageable with said detent means onsaid head to prevent rotation of said dispensing head with reference tosaid bed when an article is being discharged from one of said dischargeopenings and a displaceable gate portion; pick-01f means mounted on saidbed to extract an article from a juxtaposed receptacle and to urge itpast said gate portion prior to its discharge into said dispensingopening; and actuator means in said housing for simultaneouslyenergizing said pick-01f means and said detent member.

2. In a vending machine, the combination of: a housing; a rotatabledispensing head on said housing for storing articles to be dispensed,said dispensing head having a portion with detent openings in theperimeter thereof; a dispensing plate engageable with a selected articleto remove it from said dispensing head, said dispensing plate having adogging slot in the edge thereof; an actuator in said housingoperatively connected to said plate for causing movement of the same,said actuator including a pinion rotatable in a horizontal plane; andinterlocking means connected to said actuator for simultaneously doggingsaid dispensing head against move ment and releasing said dispensingplate for movement and for releasing said dispensing head for movementWhile dogging said dispensing plate against movement, said interlockingmeans including a lever rotatable in a horizontal plane and having aninterlocking lug engageable with one of said detent openings in saidhead and an interlocking finger engageable in said dogging slot, saidlever being movable by initial rotation of said pinion to simultaneouslyfree said finger from said slot and engage said lug in one of saidopenings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS691,511 Watts Jan. 21, 1902 707,112 Horrocks Aug. 19, 1902 736,980Kneedler Aug. 25, 1903 766,968 Packard Aug. 9, 1904 961,066 Behler June7, 1910 1,075,527 Whitmore Oct. 14, 1913 21,804 Coulson Dec. 22, 19141,395,941 Beattie Nov. 1, 1921 1,567,977 Nessling et al. Dec. 29, 19251,650,304 Sidebotham Nov. 22, 1927 6,324 Rogers Mar. 19, 1929 1,758,373Richardson et a1 May 13, 1930 1,771,199 Webber July 22, 1930 1,889,318Larsen et a1. Nov. 29, 1932 1,981,467 Radtke Nov. 20, 1934 :(Otherreferences on following page) 13 UNITED STATES PATENTS Vanderput Nov. 9,1937 Hackett Nov. 16, 1937 Given May 28, 1940 5 Makibbin Nov. 7, 1950Bressler Apr. 3, 1951 14 Greenwald Jan. 22, 1952 Curlee Aug. 17, 1954FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain of 1906 Great Britain of 1903 Germany Nov.28, 1907

